Oh Freedom After While (Film)

A historical documentary about a dramatic 1939 roadside protest by Missouri Bootheel sharecroppers–black and white–and the repercussions it had in politics and in their lives.

Narrated: by Julian Bond

Directed and Edited: by

Steven John Ross

Written: by

Candace O’Connor and Steven J. Ross

Script consultant:

Lynn Rubright

Produced: by

Candace O’Connor, Steven J. Ross and Lynn Rubright

Original Music Composed: by

Daniel Rubright

Web site Design:

Bill Dyer

Featuring the photographs of Arthur Witman from the
Western Historical Manuscript Collection,
University of Missouri-St. Louis and
Photographs of Arthur Rothstein and Russell Lee from the Library of Congress

“It’s a wonderful example of the fact that things can change and that history can take us totally by surprise. These sharecroppers were not only oppressed but terrorized and, in the space of a few months, they developed a solid organization, shut down a highway, attracted national attention, won their demands, and changed their lives. It is a nice reminder that ‘common people’ aren’t common at all –and they can do incredible things.